Collabosaurus Acquired In A Rare Female-led Tech Exit

Collabosaurus Acquired In A Rare Female-led Tech Exit
Womenleading Tech
Edited by Womenleading Tech



    Collabosaurus, brand collaboration platform, has been acquired by marketing agency leader, Lauren Swidenbank.

    Lead image: L to R: Lauren Swidenbank and Jessica Ruhfus

    Having been founded and bootstrapped by Jessica Ruhfus, the acquisition symbolises a significant stride in promoting female leadership within the tech sector, where all-female founder exits account for only 0.8 per cent of total exit value.

    Collabosaurus has experienced impressive growth, averaging +84 per cent each year since it was founded in 2015. It now boasts over 10,700 brands including ASOS, Marks & Spencer, Walmart, Cointreau, and Microsoft. The platform has demonstrated a remarkable profit margin of 46.8 per cent, ultimately attracting Swidenbank to the acquisition prospect.

    “I’m excited about the scalability and potential of Collabosaurus, and was impressed by the platform’s unique model fostering win/win marketing collaborations, amidst rising saturation and an uncertain economy. I will be focused on leveraging my background in performance marketing to continue the growth trajectory of the brand and enhance Collabosaurus’ market presence,” said Swidenbank.

    Collabosaurus is a tech platform that match-makes brands for clever marketing collaborations, offering a unique and cost-effective solution for businesses seeking to expand their reach and impact.

    Both award-winning in their fields, Swidenbank and Ruhfus realised a fantastic opportunity to scale Collabosaurus further, particularly in the luxury brand space and overseas.

    “The organic and swift acquisition process began over dinner. We both had a shared vision for the future of the brand, and I have full confidence that Lauren’s leadership will continue to propel Collabosaurus forward,” said Ruhfus.

    Swidenbank is the CEO and Founder of Cali Social, a performance marketing agency specialising in female-first brands, and sees this acquisition as a strategic move to expand into tech and leverage Collabosaurus’s unique position in the market.

    Ruhfus’ decision to sell was influenced by a desire to pursue her venture, No.2 – an ecommerce brand in the home fragrance category experiencing impressive traction.

    This acquisition marks a significant step towards diversifying leadership and approaches in the tech sector.

    Latest News

    Fighting For ‘Attention’: How To Measure Campaigns In Today’s Content Saturated World
    • Partner Content

    Fighting For ‘Attention’: How To Measure Campaigns In Today’s Content Saturated World

    When it comes to ad campaigns, have you ever felt you’re ‘fighting’ for your audience’s attention? You’re not alone. Attracting and retaining audience attention in today’s digitally fragmented environment has never been more challenging. In fact, a recent study by Microsoft concluded that the human attention span has dropped to eight seconds – shrinking nearly […]

    Partner Content
    Women Paving the Path In Tech & Loyalty Share Key Insights
    • Technology

    Women Paving the Path In Tech & Loyalty Share Key Insights

    In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and loyalty, women are not just breaking barriers but reshaping the future. As we celebrate International Women’s Day and rally behind the theme of investing in women to accelerate progress, we made a conscious choice to forego the statistics that underscore the ongoing journey towards true gender parity. Instead, […]

    Empowering Change: Women Leading The Generative AI Revolution In Marketing For International Women’s Day
    • Marketing

    Empowering Change: Women Leading The Generative AI Revolution In Marketing For International Women’s Day

    The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Inspire Inclusion”, establishes a poignant tone for fostering authentic change. It perfectly mirrors the dynamic landscape of marketing, where change is the only constant. The last third-party cookie has finally crumbled, privacy laws are tightening, and now, Generative AI is quickly ushering in a new era of […]

    Stevie-Ann Dovico Moves From NAB To Beyond Bank
    • Fintech

    Stevie-Ann Dovico Moves From NAB To Beyond Bank

    Stevie-Ann Dovico (lead image), has made the shift to customer-owned, Beyond Bank as its new chief information officer. The announcement came via Linkedin with happy to share that she is “ready to create real impact for and with our people, customers and communities” in her new role. Dovico replaces Fiona Floyd, who left the role […]

    Redefining Tech Leadership: Deputy’s C-Suite Now 80% Women
    • Technology

    Redefining Tech Leadership: Deputy’s C-Suite Now 80% Women

    Deputy, the leading global people platform for hourly work, has announced the appointment of Sejal Patel Daswani (lead image) as its new chief people officer, resulting in a shift in the composition of its senior leadership, with women now making up 80% of the company’s C-Suite. Daswani has led people functions at every stage and […]

    Acronis Names Cybersecurity Channel Veteran Kelly Johnson As General Manager For Australia & New Zealand
    • Technology

    Acronis Names Cybersecurity Channel Veteran Kelly Johnson As General Manager For Australia & New Zealand

    Acronis has appointed Kelly Johnson (lead image)as the new general manager for Australia and New Zealand. Johnson will lead the channel-focused business, strengthening relationships with distributors and supporting partners to meet the cybersecurity demands of modern businesses in the region. With the growing pressure on Australian businesses for cybersecurity and the drive to comply with […]

    Aquent Salary Guide Reveals The Gender Pay Gap Persists In Marketing, Design & Technology Fields
    • Marketing
    • Technology

    Aquent Salary Guide Reveals The Gender Pay Gap Persists In Marketing, Design & Technology Fields

    Aquent has released its 2024 Australian Salary Guide for marketing, design, and technology talent. This year, it explores how marketing, design, and technology roles are expanding, deep dives into gender pay gaps, and examines the movement of salaries year-on-year—both in growth and decline. Paired with Aquent’s 2023 Talent Insights Report, the Salary Guide helps organisations […]

    Tech Salaries Continue To Steady Out As Businesses Remain Cautious
    • Technology

    Tech Salaries Continue To Steady Out As Businesses Remain Cautious

    The hiring market is experiencing significant change, fluctuating between a frenzied candidate-short market and a more cautious employer-driven market, according to Talent’s ‘More Than Money Salary Guide 2024’. Tech and digital salaries continue to steady out but remain strong for key skillsets such as cybersecurity and AI. The report features key salaries, roles and skills […]

    Surging Job Satisfaction For Australia’s Young Tech Workers Amid Labour Market Cooling
    • Technology

    Surging Job Satisfaction For Australia’s Young Tech Workers Amid Labour Market Cooling

    While 2021’s big workplace trend was The Great Resignation, 2024’s big trend is likely to be ‘The Big Stay’ in Australia, concludes modern HR platform HiBob in its latest research of young Australians working in the tech sector. The combination of decreasing Australian job vacancies and a remarkable increase in job satisfaction among Australia’s young tech workers in 2023 […]